Screen protector applicator

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a screen protector assembly and a screen protector applicator comprising a screen protector assembly and an applicator tray, the screen protector assembly comprising a cover layer, a screen protector layer and a retention layer, wherein: the cover layer is bonded on a first side of the screen protector layer by a first glue layer provided on the screen protector layer; the retention layer is bonded on a second side of the screen protector by a second glue layer provided on the retention layer; and an interlayer is provided between the retention layer and the screen protector layer. The screen protector applicator has a simple structure, and can store and protect the screen protector assembly before application of the screen protector layer to the screen. In the process of screen protector application, the operation method is simple and convenient.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure belongs to the field of device accessories, andparticularly relates to a screen protector applicator.

BACKGROUND

A screen protector, also known as a screen protective component, is acold mounting film, sheet or the like that can be used for mounting on asurface or screen of an electronic device such as a cell phone (mobilephone), a DVD player, a laptop, a camera, a game console or a printer,or other tangible objects. With the popularization of large-screenelectronic devices such as MP5 and PSP machines, people often have toapply screen protectors onto the screens of these devices in order toprotect the screens from being worn. The traditional method for applyingthe screen protector is to apply a screen protector on a screen of adevice after manual visual alignment. For this manual applicationmethod, it is very easy to apply the screen protector with a deviation,resulting in misalignment of the screen with the screen protector. It isoften necessary to repeatedly apply the screen protector several timesso that it is correctly applied onto the screen, which is easy to causegeneration of bubbles. Once the bubbles are generated or dust isadhered, the screen protector needs to be re-applied, affectingefficiency and even causing waste of materials. Therefore, there is aneed for a tool that can simplify the operation of applying the screenprotector, namely, a screen protector applicator, which can helpordinary people without screen protector application skills to apply thescreen protector well. It will greatly facilitate people's lives and canincrease the success rate of screen protector application.

Chinese Patent Application Publication No. CN207156455U discloses a filmapplicator for applying a film on a surface of an electronic productsuch as a cell phone. The film applicator comprises a rectangular framethat encloses a hollow portion to place an electronic product onto whichthe film is to be applied. The rectangular frame is connected by twoside frames, an upper frame and a lower frame to form an overall framestructure. A positioning flange is formed above the middle portion ofthe side frame and extends from a top end of the upper frame toward thehollow portion, and the positioning flange is not formed below themiddle portion of the side frame. An inclined portion extends from themiddle portion of the side frame to a lower portion thereof, and theheight of the lower frame is lower than the height of the upper frame.The film applicator is simple in shape and convenient to use, and isadvantageous to improve the accuracy and efficiency of cell phone filmapplication. However, the film applicator cannot temporarily store andprotect the cell phone protector.

SUMMARY

In order to solve the above problems, an objective of the presentdisclosure is to provide a screen protector applicator for applying ascreen protector onto a screen of a device. It has a simple structure,and can store and protect the screen protector layer before applicationof the screen protector layer to the screen. In the process of screenprotector application, the operation method is simple and convenient.

Another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a screenprotector applicator. The screen protector applicator can avoid a screenprotector layer from being bonded to a screen of a device without beingoperated, and can realize the automatic alignment of the screen and thescreen protector layer in the process of screen protector application.It realizes slow air exclusion in the process of bonding the screenprotector layer to the screen, which reduces the possibility ofgenerating bubbles. Moreover, after the screen protector application iscompleted, it is easier to remove an applicator tray and a retentionlayer still bonded in the applicator tray from the device.

In order to achieve the above objectives, the technical solutions of thepresent disclosure are as follows:

A screen protector assembly, comprising a cover layer, a screenprotector layer and a retention layer, wherein: the cover layer isbonded on a first side of the screen protector layer by a first gluelayer provided on the screen protector layer to provide protection forthe first glue layer; the retention layer is bonded on a second side ofthe screen protector by a second glue layer provided on the retentionlayer to provide retention for the screen protector layer to an externaldevice, and the second side is opposite to the first side; and aninterlayer is provided between the retention layer and the screenprotector layer for reducing strength of bonding between the retentionlayer and the screen protector layer.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the retention layer is madeof a material more bendable than a material of the screen protectorlayer.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the interlayer is positionedon one or more of four corners or edges of the retention layer.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the interlayer is positionedon four corners of the retention layer.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the interlayer is a plasticsheet.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the retention layer has oneor more cutouts for facilitating release of the screen protector layerfrom the retention layer.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, strength of bonding betweenthe first glue layer and a surface to which the screen protectorassembly is to be applied is greater than strength of bonding betweenthe screen protector layer and the second glue layer.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a third glue layer isprovided on a side of the retention layer opposite from the screenprotector layer so as to bond the screen protector assembly to theexternal device.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the third glue layer ispositioned on one or more of four corners or edges of the retentionlayer.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a position of the third gluelayer on the retention layer corresponds to a position of the interlayeron the retention layer.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cover layer is providedwith an auxiliary strip having a first part and a second part, whereinthe first part is attached on the cover layer and the second part is tofacilitate peeling of the cover layer off from the screen protectorlayer by a hand of a user.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the screen protector layeris made of tempered glass.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the retention layer is madeof plastic.

A screen protector applicator, comprising: the screen protector assemblydescribed above, and an applicator tray having a base with a device sideand an opposing side, walls provided at four edges of the base and apositioning ridge provided on the device side of the base and along aninterior side of the wall, wherein: the retention layer of the screenprotector assembly is bonded to the base of the applicator tray; thebase and the positioning ridge form a first space in which the screenprotector assembly is accommodated; a height of the walls is greaterthan a height of the positioning ridge, and the walls higher than thepositioning ridge form a second space above the first space, wherein thesecond space is capable of accommodating a device laying horizontally,and when the device is accommodated in the second space, a surface ofthe device is in contact with the positioning ridge; the base has anopening for a user to access and apply force to the screen protectorassembly from the opposing side of the base; and when the user placesthe screen protector applicator onto the screen to which the screenprotector layer is to be applied, and applies force to a back of thescreen protector layer through the opening at the base, a part of thescreen protector layer is detached from the retention layer through itsmaking contact to the screen and the whole screen protector layer isbonded to the screen, whereas the retention layer is still bonded to thebase.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the screen protectorassembly is tilted with respect to the screen to which the screenprotector layer is to be applied when the user places the screenprotector applicator onto the screen.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the applicator traycomprises, on the device side of the base, a first set of limitingprotrusions provided on a first end of the base and a second set oflimiting protrusions provided on a second end of the base, wherein thefirst end and the second end are in a longitudinal direction of thebase, and the second end is opposite to the first end; wherein the firstset of the limiting protrusions have the same height, and the second setof limiting protrusions have the same height; wherein a height of firstset of limiting protrusions is greater than a height of the second setof limiting protrusions, and a sum of a height of any one of the firstset or second set of limiting protrusions and a thickness of the screenprotector assembly is smaller than a height of the positioning ridge;wherein when the screen protector assembly is accommodated in the firstspace, one end of the screen protector assembly is in contact with thefirst set of the limiting protrusions, and the other end of the screenprotector assembly is in contact with the second set of the limitingprotrusions.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first set or second setof limiting protrusions each has one or more limiting protrusions.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the opening is a U-shapedopening provided on the second end of the base, and a size of theU-shaped opening allows a finger to access the screen protectorassembly.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the retention layer isprovided with one or more cutouts for facilitating release of the screenprotector layer from the retention layer.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the interlayer is positionedon four corners of the retention layer.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the screen protectorapplicator further comprises an auxiliary strip having a first part anda second part, wherein the first part is attached on the cover layer andthe second part is to facilitate peeling of the cover layer off from thescreen protector layer by a hand of the user.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a thickness of the screenprotector assembly is smaller than the height of the positioning ridge,so that prior to the application, when the screen protector applicatoris aligned and placed onto the screen, there is a gap or distancebetween the screen protector layer and the screen which the screenprotector layer is to be applied to.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a placement step is formedon an exterior periphery side of the applicator tray for allowing easystacking of two or more screen protector applicators.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the screen protectorapplicator further comprises a hand-held portion fixed on the wall.

The advantages of the present disclosure are as follows:

Compared with the prior art, the screen protector applicator of thepresent disclosure a simple structure, and can store and protect thescreen protector layer before application of the screen protector layerto the screen. In the process of screen protector application, theoperation method is simple and convenient.

The screen protector applicator can avoid the screen protector layerfrom being bonded to the device screen without being operated, and canrealize the automatic alignment of the screen and the screen protectorlayer in the process of screen protector application. It realizes slowair exclusion in the process of bonding the screen protector layer tothe screen, thereby reducing the possibility of generating bubbles.Since the interlayer is provided between the retention layer and thescreen protector layer, there will be a slight gap or distance at anedge joint of the retention layer and the screen protector layer in thescreen protector application process, so that it is also easier toseparate the retention layer from the screen protector layer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an exploded structure at a first angle ofa screen protector applicator according to a first embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an exploded structure at a second angle ofthe screen protector applicator according to the first embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an exploded structure in an initial stateprior to application of a screen protector layer to a device screen inthe screen protector applicator according to the first embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an exploded structure in a first use stateduring application of the screen protector layer to the device screen inthe screen protector applicator according to the first embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an exploded structure in a second usestate during application of the screen protector layer to the devicescreen in the screen protector applicator according to the firstembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an exploded structure in a final stateafter application of the screen protector layer to the device screen inthe screen protector applicator according to the first embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIGS. 7A to 7D are schematic views of a screen protector assembly in thescreen protector applicator according to the first embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are prospective and front views of an applicator tray ofa screen protector applicator according to a second embodiment of thepresent disclosure, respectively.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of an exploded structure in an initial stateprior to application of a screen protector layer to a device screen inthe screen protector applicator according to the second embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of an exploded structure in a first usestate during application of the screen protector layer to the devicescreen in the screen protector applicator according to the secondembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of an exploded structure in a second usestate during application of the screen protector layer to the devicescreen in the screen protector applicator according to the secondembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of an exploded structure in a final stateafter application of the screen protector layer to the device screen inthe screen protector applicator according to the second embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages ofthe present disclosure clearer, the present disclosure will be furtherdescribed in detail below in conjunction with the drawings andembodiments. It should be understood that specific embodiments describedherein are only used to explain the present disclosure and are notintended to limit the present disclosure.

In the present disclosure, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The present disclosure is to provide a screen protector applicator forapplying a screen protector onto a screen of a device. The device may bea cell phone, a smart watch, a PDA, a portable media player, a gameconsole or a tablet device. An example where the screen protectorapplicator is used to apply the screen protector onto a screen of a cellphone will be described below in detail. However, it should beunderstood by those skilled in the art that the technical solution ofthe present disclosure can also be used to protect other devices in asimilar way.

First Embodiment

A screen protector applicator according to the first embodiment of thepresent disclosure is as shown in FIGS. 1 to 7D. The scree protectionapplicator comprises an applicator tray 1, and a screen protectorassembly 2. The applicator tray 1 has a base 3 with a device side and anopposing side, walls 11 at four edges of the base 3, and a positioningridge 12 on the device side of the base 1 and along an interior side ofthe wall 11. A height of the wall 11 is higher than a height of thepositioning ridge 12. In this embodiment, the base 3 has a shape similarto a cell phone 0, that is, it has two longer edges and two shorteredges, as shown in FIG. 1. The positioning ridge 12 is provided alongall of the interior side of two walls corresponding to the longer edgesand one wall corresponding to the shorter edge. Alternatively, thepositioning ridge 12 may be provided along all or part of the interiorside of one or more of the four walls 11.

The base 3 and the positioning ridge 12 form a first space 100, and thewalls 11 higher than the positioning ridge 12 form a second space 200above the first space 100. The screen protector assembly 2 isaccommodated in the first space 100. The cell phone 0 lying horizontallymay be accommodated in the second space 200. When a user puts theapplicator tray 1 face down on top of the cell phone 0 to have the cellphone 0 partially placed in the second space 200, a screen 101 of thecell phone 0 is in contact with the positioning ridge 12. It should benoted that the height of the positioning ridge 12 of the first space 100is slightly greater than the height of the screen protector assembly 2so as to allow a gap or distance between the screen protector assembly 2and the screen 101 of the cell phone 0. In this way, the screenprotector assembly 2 and the screen 101 of the cell phone 0 can bealigned without contact until the screen protector assembly 2 is pressedinto contact with the screen 101 of the cell phone 0.

An opening 6 is opened in the base 3. The opening 6 allows the user toaccess and apply force to a back of the screen protector assembly 2 fromthe opposing side of the base 3. In this embodiment, the opening 6 is anelongate opening in the middle of the base 3 and extending along alongitudinal direction of the base 3. Specifically, the opening 6comprises a middle portion 61 for allowing a finger to access the screenprotector assembly 2, a left portion 62 for allowing a finger to movetoward a left side of the screen, and a right portion 63 for allowing afinger to move toward a right side of the screen. In this embodiment,the left and right portions 62 and 63 have only straight edges, whereasthe middle portion 61 has curved edges. As shown in FIG. 2, the width ofthe middle portion 61 is larger than that of the left and right portions62 and 63. However, the position and shape of opening 6 are not limitedto these in this embodiment. In an example, the opening 6 may be shapedas an elongate opening only having straight edges, so that the middle,left and right portions 61, 62 and 63 substantially have the same widthalong the longitudinal direction of the opening 6. In another example,the opening 6 may be provided at a slightly off-center position of thebase 3 and extend along a longitudinal direction of the base 3. In stillanother example, the opening 6 may be provided on the entire base 3except for four corners. In the above examples, the width of the opening6 must be larger than that of the finger, and in practice, its specificwidth is generally related to the size of the cell phone 0. For example,when the cell phone 0 has a size of about 4-6 inches, the width of theopening 6 is generally about 20-25 mm. Moreover, when the user slideshis finger along the opening 6 to apply the screen protector to thescreen, air possibly existing between the screen protector and thescreen 101 is pushed out, thereby reducing the possibility of generatingair bubbles, and increasing the adhesion of the screen protector to thescreen 101.

As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the screen protector assembly 2comprises a cover layer 21, a screen protector layer 23 and a retentionlayer 22. The cover 21 and the retention layer 22 are bonded to bothsides of the screen protector layer 23, respectively. Specifically, thecover layer 21 is bonded to a first side of the screen protector layer23 away from the base 3 by a first glue layer 25 provided on the screenprotector layer 23, and is used to provide protection for the first gluelayer 25 prior to application of the screen protector layer 23 to thescreen 101. The cover layer 21 needs to be detached before theapplication of the screen protector layer 23 to the screen 101. Theretention layer 22 is bonded to a second side of the screen protectorlayer 23 opposite to the first side by a second glue layer 24 providedon the retention layer 22, and is bonded to the base 3 by a third gluelayer 26. The retention layer 22 is used to provide retention for thescreen proctor assembly 2 to the base 3 prior to the application of thescreen protector layer 23 to the screen 101. The screen protector layer23 is to be applied onto the screen 101 of the cell phone 0 so as toprotect the screen 101, and can have any suitable shape and dimensionsto fit a part of the screen 101 to be protected. The screen protectorlayer 23 shown in FIG. 7A is merely suitable for a kind of general cellphones, and a screen protector layer 23 may have any other shapes anddimensions suitable for other devices.

As shown in FIGS. 7B to 7C, in this embodiment, the retention layer 22has cutouts in the middle of two ends, but still has the same outershape as the screen protector layer 23. The retention layer 22 is easyto separate from the screen protector layer 23 at the top and bottomwhen the user applies force to a back of the retention layer 22 from theopening 6. It should be noted that in the present disclosure, the sizeof the cutout and the number of cutouts are not limited to those shownin FIGS. 7B to 7C. For example, the retention layer 22 may have only onecutout, and the one cutout may penetrate through the retention layer 22from top to bottom, as shown in FIG. 7D.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, in this embodiment, after the user places thescreen protector applicator onto the screen 101 to which the screenprotector layer 23 is to be applied, when he presses the back of thescreen protector assembly 2 at the middle part 61 of the opening 6 andthen slides a finger left and right along the opening 6, a middle partof screen protector layer 23 first contacts the screen 101 and is bondedto it by the first glue layer 25. With sliding the finger left and rightalong the opening 6, under the action of pressure and adhesion, thescreen protector layer 23 is released from the retention layer 22 at twoends as shown in FIG. 5, and the screen protector layer 23 graduallycontact the screen 101 from the middle part to its left and right partsand are bonded to it by the first glue layer 25, until the whole screenprotector layer 23 is bonded to the screen 101. It needs to be notethat, in the process that the screen protector layer 23 is graduallybonded to the screen 101, the retention layer 22 is still bonded to theapplicator tray 1, and the retention layer 22 is not completelyseparated from the screen protector layer 23, although it is deformed tosome extent due to the adhesion between the screen protector layer 23and the screen 101.

Further, in this embodiment, the strength of bonding between the base 3and the retention layer 22 is greater than the strength of bondingbetween the screen protector layer 23 and the retention layer 22. Also,the strength of bonding between the screen protector layer 23 and thescreen 101 is greater than the strength of bonding between the screenprotector layer 23 and the retention layer 22, which is helpful to makeit easier for both ends of the screen protector layer 23 to be releasedfrom the retention layer 22 in the process that the screen protectorlayer 23 is gradually bonded to the screen 101, as shown in FIGS. 4 and5. However, in another example, the strength of bonding between thescreen protector layer 23 and the screen 101 may also be smaller thanthe strength of bonding between the screen protector layer 23 and theretention layer 22. In this case, the user needs to apply larger forceto press the screen protector assembly 2 and slide along the opening 6,so that the screen protector layer 23 can be released from the retentionlayer 22. Since the retention layer 22 is bendable, and the screenprotector layer 23 is very close to the screen 101 before the screenprotector application in this design, the screen protector layer 23 willbe released onto the screen 101 when only two ends of the screenprotector layer 23 is released from the retention layer 22. That is tosay, finally, only a part of the screen protector layer 23 is releasedfrom the retention layer 22. In this embodiment, in order to furtherreduce the bonding strength between the retention layer 22 and thescreen protector layer 23, an interlayer 27 is provided between theretention layer 22 and the screen protector layer 23. Although theinterlayer 27 may be positioned on one or more of four corners of theretention layer 22, the interlayer 27 is preferably positioned on fourcorners of the retention layer 22, as shown in FIG. 7B to 7D. In thisembodiment, the interlayer 27 is a plastic sheet. However, theinterlayer 27 may also be made of any material, as long as it canfacilitate easy separation of the retention layer 22 from the screenprotector layer 23 during the screen protector application. When theuser applied force to the back of the screen protector assembly 2through the opening 6, since the corners of the retention layer 22 areprovided with the interlayer 27, the retention layer 22 and the screenprotector layer 23 can be more easily separated, making the screenprotector application operation more convenient. In addition, in orderto facilitate the separation of the screen protector layer 23 and theretention layer 22, an anti-finger coating (such as oleophobic) may alsobe applied on the screen protector layer 23.

In the present disclosure, a thickness of the screen protector assembly2 is smaller than a height of the positioning ridge 12, so that prior tothe application, when the screen protector applicator is aligned andplaced onto the screen 101, there is a gap or distance between thescreen protector layer 23 and the screen 101 which the screen protectorlayer 23 is to be applied to, thereby avoiding the screen protectorassembly 2 from being attached to the screen 101 without being operated.

Further, although the applicator tray 1 is made of plastic in thisembodiment, the applicator tray 1 may be made of any suitable materialthat can be used for molding. The material for making the applicatortray 1 should be well known to those skilled in the art, and a detaileddescription thereof will be omitted here. In this embodiment, theretention layer 22 can be made of a material more bendable than amaterial of the screen protector layer 23. For example, the screenprotector layer 23 is made of tempered glass, and the retention layer 22is made of plastic. For another example, the screen protector layer 23is made of hard plastic, such as polyurethane, epoxy resin and siliconeresin, and the retention layer 22 is made of soft plastic, such aspolyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride and styrene. However,the materials for making the screen protector layer 23 and the retentionlayer 22 are not limited to these examples.

In addition, it needs to be noted that the first glue layer 25 and thesecond glue layer 24 are made of different types of glue. Further, inthis embodiment, the third glue layer 26 is made of double-sided glue.It should be noted that although the third glue layer 26 is provided onthe top and the bottom of the surface of the retention layer 22 in thisembodiment, it may also be provided on one or more of four corners oredges of the retention layer 22, or at any several positions around thesurface of the retention layer 22, for example, on several positions ata distance (such as 1-2 mm or 3-4 mm) from the corners or edges of theretention layer 22, as long as the adhesion force provided by the thirdglue layer 26 is enough to bond the screen protector assembly 2 onto thebase 3.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the wall 11 may be provided withone or more notches 31. Meanwhile, the screen protector applicator mayfurther include an auxiliary strip 4, as shown in FIG. 2. The auxiliarystrip 4 has a first part and a second part. The first part is attachedon a corner of the cover layer 21, and the second part is accommodatedin the notch 31, and is used to facilitate peeling of the cover layer 21off from the screen protector layer 23 by a hand of the user.

Furthermore, the screen protector applicator may further comprise ahand-held portion 5, and the hand-held portion 5 is fixed on the wall11. After the screen protector layer 23 is applied onto the screen 101,the retention layer 22 is still bonded to the applicator tray 1, and theretention layer 22 is not completely separated from the screen protectorlayer 23. In this way, the provision of the hand-held portion 5 can makeit easier to remove the applicator tray 1 from the cell phone 0 andseparate the retention layer 22 and the screen protector layer 23 afterthe screen protector application operation is completed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a placement step 7 may be formed on anexterior periphery side of the applicator tray 1 for allowing easystacking of two or more screen protector applicators. Moreover, recessedportions 8 may be provided on two side walls of the wall 11, so that thescreen protector applicators can be more stably stacked and stored. Itis also convenient to transport the screen protector applicators.

In addition, this embodiment further comprises a method of applying ascreen protector onto a screen of a cell phone by using the screenprotector applicator according to this embodiment of the presentdisclosure. Specific steps of the method are as follows:

Before the screen protector application, the auxiliary strip 4 is heldby a user to peel off the cover layer 21 from the screen protector layer23, and then the screen protector applicator is placed on the cell phone0, so that the cell phone 0 is accommodated in the second space 200inside the applicator tray 1. At this time, the cell phone screen 101and the screen protector layer 23 are automatically aligned, but thecell phone screen 101 does not touch the first glue layer 25 and thescreen protector layer 23, as shown in FIG. 3.

Next, the user presses the screen protector assembly 2 on the cell phonescreen 101 by pressing through the opening 61 first in the middle andthen separately sliding fingers along the left opening 62 and the rightopening 63. In the process of pressing the screen protector assembly 2,as shown FIGS. 4 and 5, the entire screen protector assembly 2 isdeformed to some extent. At first, a middle part of screen protectorlayer 23 contacts the screen 101 and is bonded to it by the first gluelayer 25, and at the same time, the screen protector layer 23 starts tobe detached from the retention layer 22 at the top and bottom. Withsliding the fingers along the left opening 62 and the right opening 63,the screen protector layer 23 further slowly contacts and is bonded tothe screen 101 from the middle part to its left and right parts, untilthe whole screen protector layer 23 is bonded to the screen 101, asshown FIG. 6. Meanwhile, air possibly existing between the screenprotector layer 23 and the screen 101 is slowly pushed out in thebonding process. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4-6, the air betweenthe screen protector 23 and the screen 101 is slowly pushed from themiddle part to end parts, so it can all be pushed out at once, therebysaving a subsequent operation of manually pushing out the air. It needsto be noted that, in the process that the screen protector layer 23 isgradually bonded to the screen 101, the retention layer 22 is stillbonded to the applicator tray 1, and the retention layer 22 is notcompletely separated from the screen protector layer 23.

In addition, since the interlayer 27 is provided between the retentionlayer 22 and the screen protector layer 23, there will be a slight gapor distance at an edge joint of the retention layer 22 and the screenprotector layer 23 in the screen protector application process, so thatit is also easier to separate the retention layer 22 from the screenprotector layer 23. Finally, the applicator tray 3 and the retentionlayer 22 still bonded in the applicator tray 3 are removed from the cellphone 0 together through the hand-held portion 5, so that the retentionlayer 22 and the screen protector layer 23 are completely separated tocomplete the screen protector application process.

Second Embodiment

A screen protector applicator according to the second embodiment of thepresent disclosure is as shown in FIGS. 8 to 12. The screen protectionapplicator comprises an applicator tray 1, and a screen protectorassembly 2. Since the screen protector assembly 2 of this embodiment issubstantially the same as the foregoing screen protector assembly 2 ofthe first embodiment, a detailed description thereof will be omitted inthis embodiment.

The applicator tray 1 has a base 3 with a device side and an opposingside, walls 11 at four edges of the base 3, and a positioning ridge 12on the device side of the base 1 and along an interior side of the wall11. A height of the wall 11 is higher than a height of the positioningridge 12. The base 3 has a shape similar to a cell phone 0, that is, ithas two longer edges and two shorter edges, as shown in FIG. 1. Thepositioning ridge 12 is provided along all of the interior side of fourwalls. Alternatively, however, the positioning ridge 12 may be providedalong all or part of the interior side of one or more of the four walls11. Further, the applicator tray 1 has four limiting protrusions 28 a,28 b on the device side of the base 3, i.e. two limiting protrusions 28a on a first end 29 and two limiting protrusions 28 b on a second end30, wherein the first end 29 and the second end 30 are in a longitudinaldirection of the base 3, and the second end 30 is opposite to the firstend 29; wherein the two limiting protrusions 28 a on the first end 29have a height greater than that of the two limiting protrusions 28 b onthe second end 30, and the two limiting protrusions 28 a or 28 b on thesame end have the same height; and wherein a sum of a height of any oneof the four limiting protrusions 28 a, 28 b and a thickness of thescreen protector assembly 2 is smaller than a height of the positioningridge 12. It needs to be noted that the number of limiting protrusionson the first end 29 or the second end 30 is not necessarily limited to2, and it may also be any integer equal to or greater than 1.Specifically, there may be only one limiting protrusion on each of thefirst end 29 and the second end 30; or there may be only one limitingprotrusion on one of the first end 29 and the second end 30, and theremay be two limiting protrusions on the other of the first end 29 and thesecond end 30; or there may be two or more limiting protrusions on eachof the first end 29 and the second end 30.

The base 3, the limiting protrusions 28 a, 28 b and the positioningridge 12 form a first space. Since the sum of the height of the limitingprotrusions 28 a, 28 b and the thickness of the screen protectorassembly 2 is smaller than the height of positioning ridge 12, when thescreen protector assembly 2 is accommodated in the first space, one endof the screen protector assembly 2 is in contact with the limitingprotrusions 28 a on the first end 29, the other end of the screenprotector assembly 2 is in contact with the limiting protrusions 28 b onthe second end 30, and the limiting protrusions 28 a, 28 b, the screenprotector assembly 2 and the base 3 are enclosed to form a hollowcavity, as shown in FIG. 9. Thus, the entire surface of the screenprotector assembly 2 does not directly contact the base 3 as in thefirst embodiment. In this design, even when the base 3 is deformed dueto changes in surrounding environmental factors such as temperature andhumidity, the screen protector assembly 2 bonded to the base 3 will notbe affected by the deformation of the base 3. Therefore, compared withthe first embodiment, this embodiment is more helpful to improve theperformance stability of the screen protector assembly 2. The walls 11higher than the positioning ridge 12 form a second space above the firstspace. The cell phone 0 lying horizontally may be accommodated in thesecond space. When a user puts the applicator tray 1 face down on top ofthe cell phone 0 to have the cell phone 0 partially placed in the secondspace, a screen 101 of the cell phone 0 is in contact with thepositioning ridge 12. It should be noted that the sum of the height ofthe limiting protrusions 28 and the thickness of the screen protectorassembly 2 is smaller than the height of positioning ridge 12 so as toallow a gap or distance between the screen protector assembly 2 and thescreen 101 of the cell phone 0. In this way, the screen protectorassembly 2 and the screen 101 of the cell phone 0 can be aligned withoutcontact until the screen protector assembly 2 is pressed into contactwith the screen 101 of the cell phone 0. Further, since the height ofthe limiting protrusions 28 a on the first end is different from theheight of the limiting protrusions 28 b on the second end, the screenprotector assembly 2 is tilted with respect to the screen 101.Preferably, an inclination angle of the screen protector assembly 2 withrespect to the screen 101 is in a range of 0-30 degrees. Morepreferably, it is in a range of 0-10 degrees.

Unlike the aforementioned first embodiment, in this embodiment, aU-shaped opening 6′ is opened on the second end of the base 3. TheU-shaped opening 6′ is semi-circular, and has a size slightly greaterthan one thumb of an ordinary user. However, the U-shaped opening 6′ mayhave any other shape and size, as long as it allows a finger to accessthe screen protector assembly 2.

As shown in FIGS. 9 to 12, when the user places the screen protectorapplicator onto the screen 101 to which the screen protector layer 23 isto be applied, and presses the back of the screen protector assembly 2through the U-shaped opening 6′, an end of the retention layer 22corresponding to the U-shaped opening 6′ is detached from the screenprotector layer 23 under the action of pressure. Then, an end of thescreen protector layer 23 corresponding to the U-shaped opening 6′ firstcontacts the screen 101 and is adhered to it by the first glue layer 25.At this time, because the other end of the screen protector layer 23 isvery close to the screen 101, a gap between the screen protector layer23 and the screen 101 is small enough for the first glue layer 25 tobond the screen protector layer 23 and the screen 101 together from theend that is pressed down, i.e. the end of the screen protector layer 23corresponding to the U-shaped opening 6′. Next, as the adhesion goes on,the entire screen protector assembly 2 is deformed to some extent, andthen the other end is detached from the screen protector layer 23 underthe action of adhesion. Thereafter, the screen protector layer 23gradually contacts the screen 101 and is bonded to it from the endcorresponding to the U-shaped opening 6′ to the other end, until thewhole screen protector layer 23 is bonded to the screen 101. It needs tobe noted that, in the process that the screen protector layer 23 isgradually bonded to the screen 101, the retention layer 22 is stillbonded to the applicator tray 1, and the retention layer 22 is notcompletely separated from the screen protector layer 23 although it isdeformed to some extent due to the adhesion between the screen protectorlayer 23 and the screen 101.

In the process that the screen protector layer 23 is gradually bonded tothe screen 101, the screen protector layer 23 is released from theretention layer 22 at its two end parts, and one end part correspondingto the U-shaped opening 6′ is more released than the other end part dueto the difference of the heights of the two end parts, as shown in FIGS.11 and 12. Since the retention layer 22 is bendable, and the screenprotector layer 23 is very close to the screen 101 before the screenprotector application in this design, the screen protector layer 23 willbe released onto the screen 101 when only two ends of the screenprotector layer 23 is released from the retention layer 22. That is tosay, finally, only a part of the screen protector layer 23 is releasedfrom the retention layer 22. In this embodiment, in order to furtherreduce the bonding strength between the retention layer 22 and thescreen protector layer 23, an interlayer 27 is provided between theretention layer 22 and the screen protector layer 23. Although theinterlayer 27 may be positioned on one or more of four corners of theretention layer 22, the interlayer 27 is preferably positioned on fourcorners of the retention layer 22. In this embodiment, the interlayer 27is a plastic sheet. However, the interlayer 27 may be made of anymaterial, as long as it can facilitate easy separation of the retentionlayer 22 from the screen protector layer 23 during the screen protectorapplication. When the user applied force to the back of the retentionlayer 22 through the U-shaped opening 6′, since the corners of theretention layer 22 are provided with the interlayer 27, the retentionlayer 22 and the screen protector layer 23 can be more easily separated,making the screen protector application operation more convenient.

In the present disclosure, the sum of the height of the limitingprotrusions 28 and the thickness of the screen protector assembly 2 issmaller than a height of the positioning ridge 12, so that prior to theapplication, when the screen protector applicator is aligned and placedonto the screen 101, there is a gap or distance between the screenprotector layer 23 and the screen 101 which the screen protector layer23 is to be applied to, thereby avoiding the screen protector assembly 2from being attached to the screen 101 without being operated.

Further, although the applicator tray 1 is made of plastic in thisembodiment, the applicator tray 1 can be made of any suitable materialthat can be used for molding. The material for making the applicatortray 1 should be well known to those skilled in the art, and a detaileddescription thereof will be omitted here.

In this embodiment, the screen protector applicator may further includean auxiliary strip. A part of the auxiliary strip is attached on acorner of the cover layer 21, and the auxiliary strip is used tofacilitate peeling of the cover layer 21 off from the screen protectorlayer 23 by a hand of the user.

Further, a placement step 7 may be formed on an exterior periphery sideof the applicator tray 1 for allowing easy stacking of two or morescreen protector applicators. Moreover, recessed portions 8 may beprovided on two side walls of the wall 11, so that the screen protectorapplicators can be more stably stacked and stored. It is also convenientto transport the screen protector applicators.

In addition, this embodiment further provides a method of applying ascreen protector onto a screen of a cell phone by using the screenprotector applicator. Specific steps of the method are as follows:

Before the screen protector application, the auxiliary strip located ata position corresponding to the U-shaped opening 6′ is held by a user topeel off the cover layer 21 from the screen protector layer 23, and thenthe screen protector applicator is placed on the cell phone 0, so thatthe cell phone 0 is accommodated in the second space inside theapplicator tray 1. At this time, the cell phone screen 101 and thescreen protector layer 23 are automatically aligned, but the cell phonescreen 101 does not touch the first glue layer 25 and the screenprotector layer 23, as shown in FIG. 9.

Next, the user presses the screen protector assembly 2 on the cell phonescreen 101 through U-shaped opening 6′. In the process of pressing thescreen protector assembly, an end of the retention layer 22corresponding to the U-shaped opening 6′ is detached from the screenprotector layer 23 under the action of pressure. Then, an end of screenprotector layer 23 corresponding to the U-shaped opening 6′ firstcontacts the screen 101 and is adhered to it by the first glue layer 25.At this time, because the other end of the screen protector layer 23 isvery close to the screen 101, a gap between the screen protector layer23 and the screen 101 is small enough for the glue layer 25 to bond thescreen protector layer 23 and the screen 101 together from the end thatis pressed down, i.e. the end of the screen protector layer 23corresponding to the U-shaped opening 6′. Next, as the adhesion goes on,the entire screen protector assembly 2 is deformed to some extent, andthen the other end is detached from the screen protector layer 23 underthe action of adhesion. Thereafter, the screen protector layer 23gradually contacts the screen 101 and is bonded to it from the endcorresponding to the U-shaped opening 6′ to the other end, until thewhole screen protector layer 23 is bonded to the screen 101. Meanwhile,air possibly existing between the screen protector layer 23 and thescreen 101 is slowly pushed out in the bonding process. Specifically, asshown in FIGS. 10-12, the air between the screen protector 23 and thescreen 101 is slowly pushed from the end corresponding to the U-shapedopening 6′ to the other end, so it can all be pushed out at once,thereby saving a subsequent operation of manually pushing out the air.It needs to be noted that, in the process that the screen protectorlayer 23 is gradually bonded to the screen 101, the retention layer 22is still bonded to the applicator tray 1, and the retention layer 22 isnot completely separated from the screen protector layer 23 although itis deformed to some extent due to the adhesion between the screenprotector layer 23 and the screen 101.

In addition, since the interlayer 27 is provided between the retentionlayer 22 and the screen protector layer 23, there will be a slight gapor distance at an edge joint of the retention layer 22 and the screenprotector layer 23 in the screen protector application process, so thatit is also easier to separate the retention layer 22 from the screenprotector layer 23. Finally, the applicator tray 3 and the retentionlayer 22 still bonded in the applicator tray 3 are removed from the cellphone 0 together, so that the retention layer 22 and the screenprotector layer 23 are completely separated to complete the screenprotector application process.

As compared with the screen protector applicator of the firstembodiment, the screen protector applicator of this embodiment is easierto operate, because it can be applied to the screen automatically byonly one press at the end.

Third Embodiment

A screen protector applicator according to the third embodiment of thepresent disclosure is substantially the same as the foregoing screenprotector assembly 2 of the second embodiment except that the applicatortray 1 with the limiting protrusions 28 a, 28 b on the device side inthe second embodiment is replaced with an applicator tray with aninclined device side surface. When a cell phone lying horizontally isaccommodated in the applicator tray with the inclined device sidesurface, the screen protector assembly is also tilted with respect to ascreen of the cell phone as in the second embodiment. Since otherstructures and effects of the screen protector applicator of thisembodiment are substantially the same as those in the second embodiment,a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

The advantages of the present disclosure are as follows:

Compared with the prior art, the screen protector applicator of thepresent disclosure has a simple structure, and can store and protect thescreen protector layer before application of the screen protector layerto the screen. In the process of screen protector application, theoperation method is simple and convenient.

The screen protector applicator can avoid the screen protector layerfrom being bonded to the device screen without being operated, and canrealize the automatic alignment of the screen and the screen protectorlayer in the process of screen protector application. It realizes slowair exclusion in the process of bonding the screen protector layer tothe screen, thereby reducing the possibility of generating bubbles.Since the interlayer is provided between the retention layer and thescreen protector layer, there will be a slight gap or distance at anedge joint of the retention layer and the screen protector layer in thescreen protector application process, so that it is also easier toseparate the retention layer from the screen protector layer

The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are exemplifiedabove, and are not used to limit the present disclosure, and anymodification, equivalent substitution, improvement and the like withinthe spirit and principle of the present disclosure should be includedwithin the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A screen protector applicator, comprising: ascreen protector assembly comprising a cover layer, a screen protectorlayer and a retention layer, wherein the cover layer is bonded on afirst side of the screen protector layer by a first glue layer providedon the screen protector layer to provide protection for the first gluelayer, wherein the retention layer is bonded on a second side of thescreen protector layer by a second glue layer provided on the retentionlayer to provide retention for the screen protector layer to an externaldevice, and the second side is opposite to the first side, and whereinan interlayer is provided between the retention layer and the screenprotector layer for reducing strength of bonding between the retentionlayer and the screen protector layer; an applicator tray having a basewith a device side and an opposing side, walls at four edges of thebase, and a positioning ridge on the device side of the base and alongan interior side of the walls; wherein the retention layer of the screenprotector assembly is bonded to the base of the applicator tray; whereinthe base and the positioning ridge form a first space in which thescreen protector assembly is accommodated; wherein a height of the wallsis greater than a height of the positioning ridge, and the walls higherthan the positioning ridge form a second space above the first space,wherein the second space is capable of accommodating a device layinghorizontally, and when the device is accommodated in the second space, asurface of the device is in contact with the positioning ridge; whereinthe base has an opening for a user to access and apply force to thescreen protector assembly from the opposing side of the base; whereinwhen the user places the screen protector applicator onto a screen towhich the screen protector layer is to be applied, and applies force toa back of the screen protector layer through the opening at the base, apart of the screen protector layer is detached from the retention layerthrough its making contact to the screen and the whole screen protectorlayer is bonded to the screen, whereas the retention layer is stillbonded to the base; wherein the screen protector assembly is tilted withrespect to the screen to which the screen protector layer is to beapplied when the user places the screen protector applicator onto thescreen; and wherein the applicator tray comprises, on the device side ofthe base, a first set of limiting protrusions provided on a first end ofthe base and a second set of limiting protrusions provided on a secondend of the base, wherein the first end and the second end are in alongitudinal direction of the base, and the second end is opposite tothe first end; wherein the first set of the limiting protrusions havethe same height, and the second set of limiting protrusions have thesame height; wherein a height of the first set of limiting protrusionsis greater than a height of the second set of limiting protrusions, anda sum of a height of any one of the first set or second set of limitingprotrusions and a thickness of the screen protector assembly is smallerthan a height of the positioning ridge; wherein when the screenprotector assembly is accommodated in the first space, one end of thescreen protector assembly is in contact with the first set of thelimiting protrusions, and another end of the screen protector assemblyis in contact with the second set of the limiting protrusions.
 2. Thescreen protector applicator of claim 1, wherein the retention layer ismade of a material more bendable than a material of the screen protectorlayer.
 3. The screen protector applicator of claim 1, wherein theinterlayer is positioned on one or more of four corners or edges of theretention layer.
 4. The screen protector applicator of claim 1, whereinstrength of bonding between the first glue layer and a surface to whichthe screen protector assembly is to be applied is greater than strengthof bonding between the screen protector layer and the second glue layer.5. The screen protector applicator of claim 1, wherein a third gluelayer is provided on a side of the retention layer opposite from thescreen protector layer so as to bond the screen protector assembly tothe base of the applicator tray.
 6. The screen protector applicator ofclaim 5, wherein the third glue layer is positioned on one or more offour corners of the retention layer.
 7. The screen protector applicatorof claim 1, wherein the first set or second set of limiting protrusionseach has two or more limiting protrusions.
 8. The screen protectorapplicator of claim 7, wherein the opening is a U-shaped openingprovided on the second end of the base, and a size of the U-shapedopening allows a finger to access the screen protector assembly.
 9. Thescreen protector applicator of claim 1, wherein the opening is in amiddle part of the base and extends along the longitudinal direction ofthe base.
 10. The screen protector applicator of claim 9, wherein theopening comprises a middle portion for allowing a finger to access thescreen protector assembly, a left portion for allowing a finger to movetoward a left side of the screen, and a right portion for allowing afinger to move toward a right side of the screen.
 11. The screenprotector applicator of claim 1, wherein the interlayer is positioned onfour corners of the retention layer.
 12. The screen protector applicatorof claim 1, wherein a thickness of the screen protector assembly issmaller than the height of the positioning ridge, so that prior to theapplication, when the screen protector applicator is aligned and placedonto the screen, there is a gap or distance between the screen protectorlayer and the screen which the screen protector layer is to be appliedto.
 13. The screen protector applicator of claim 1, wherein a placementstep is formed on an exterior periphery side of the applicator tray forallowing easy stacking of two or more screen protector applicators. 14.A screen protector applicator, comprising: a screen protector assemblycomprising a cover layer, a screen protector layer and a retentionlayer, wherein the cover layer is bonded on a first side of the screenprotector layer by a first glue layer provided on the screen protectorlayer to provide protection for the first glue layer, wherein theretention layer is bonded on a second side of the screen protector layerby a second glue layer provided on the retention layer to provideretention for the screen protector layer to an external device, and thesecond side is opposite to the first side, and wherein an interlayer isprovided between the retention layer and the screen protector layer forreducing strength of bonding between the retention layer and the screenprotector layer; an applicator tray having a base with a device side andan opposing side, walls at four edges of the base, and a positioningridge on the device side of the base and along an interior side of thewalls; wherein the retention layer of the screen protector assembly isbonded to the base of the applicator tray; wherein the base and thepositioning ridge form a first space in which the screen protectorassembly is accommodated; wherein a height of the walls is greater thana height of the positioning ridge, and the walls higher than thepositioning ridge form a second space above the first space, wherein thesecond space is capable of accommodating a device laying horizontally,and when the device is accommodated in the second space, a surface ofthe device is in contact with the positioning ridge; wherein the basehas an opening for a user to access and apply force to the screenprotector assembly from the opposing side of the base; and wherein whenthe user places the screen protector applicator onto a screen to whichthe screen protector layer is to be applied, and applies force to a backof the screen protector layer through the opening at the base, a part ofthe screen protector layer is detached from the retention layer throughits making contact to the screen and the whole screen protector layer isbonded to the screen, whereas the retention layer is still bonded to thebase; wherein the retention layer is provided with one or more cutoutsfor facilitating release of the screen protector layer from theretention layer.
 15. The screen protector applicator of claim 14,wherein the screen protector assembly is tilted with respect to thescreen to which the screen protector layer is to be applied when theuser places the screen protector applicator onto the screen.
 16. Thescreen protector applicator of claim 15, wherein the applicator traycomprises, on the device side of the base, a first set of limitingprotrusions provided on a first end of the base and a second set oflimiting protrusions provided on a second end of the base, wherein thefirst end and the second end are in a longitudinal direction of thebase, and the second end is opposite to the first end; wherein the firstset of the limiting protrusions have the same height, and the second setof limiting protrusions have the same height; wherein a height of thefirst set of limiting protrusions is greater than a height of the secondset of limiting protrusions, and a sum of a height of any one of thefirst set or second set of limiting protrusions and a thickness of thescreen protector assembly is smaller than a height of the positioningridge; wherein when the screen protector assembly is accommodated in thefirst space, one end of the screen protector assembly is in contact withthe first set of the limiting protrusions, and another end of the screenprotector assembly is in contact with the second set of the limitingprotrusions.
 17. The screen protector applicator of claim 16, whereinthe first set or second set of limiting protrusions each has two or morelimiting protrusions.
 18. The screen protector applicator of claim 17,wherein the opening is a U-shaped opening provided on the second end ofthe base, and a size of the U-shaped opening allows a finger to accessthe screen protector assembly.
 19. The screen protector applicator ofclaim 14, wherein the opening is in a middle part of the base andextends along the longitudinal direction of the base.
 20. The screenprotector applicator of claim 19, wherein the opening comprises a middleportion for allowing a finger to access the screen protector assembly, aleft portion for allowing a finger to move toward a left side of thescreen, and a right portion for allowing a finger to move toward a rightside of the screen.
 21. The screen protector applicator of claim 14,wherein a thickness of the screen protector assembly is smaller than theheight of the positioning ridge, so that prior to the application, whenthe screen protector applicator is aligned and placed onto the screen,there is a gap or distance between the screen protector layer and thescreen which the screen protector layer is to be applied to.
 22. Thescreen protector applicator of claim 14, wherein a placement step isformed on an exterior periphery side of the applicator tray for allowingeasy stacking of two or more screen protector applicators.
 23. Thescreen protector applicator of claim 14, wherein the retention layer ismade of a material more bendable than a material of the screen protectorlayer.
 24. The screen protector applicator of claim 14, wherein theinterlayer is positioned on one or more of four corners or edges of theretention layer.
 25. The screen protector applicator of claim 14,wherein strength of bonding between the first glue layer and a surfaceto which the screen protector assembly is to be applied is greater thanstrength of bonding between the screen protector layer and the secondglue layer.
 26. The screen protector applicator of claim 14, wherein athird glue layer is provided on a side of the retention layer oppositefrom the screen protector layer so as to bond the screen protectorassembly to the base of the applicator tray.
 27. The screen protectorapplicator of claim 26, wherein the third glue layer is positioned onone or more of four corners of the retention layer.